The latest version of KS+ (1.2.9) is recommended for this add-on, as it contains a lot of KS+ exclusive stuff. It's still playable in regular KS, though.

Vanilla KS is supported, although ego's Knytt Stories + is heavily recommended. KS+ greatly reduces flickering issues during certain animated sequences, providing a much better experience. Also, some additional sound effects and bonus features will only be available when playing on KS+.

Greetings, fellow Nifforumites! It's been a while since my last KS release. This here is a very short level that started both as an experiment on textured tilesets and a simple joke, but later grew into something more complex than I first imagined, despite the small size of the map. As a direct result, and just as it happened with Escape from Knyttstein, I got tired of working on it and ended up leaving the incomplete level collecting dust for almost an entire year after my initial enthusiasm died out. Fortunately, I recently resolved to give closure to this project, even if that meant discarding some of my original (maybe too ambitious, especially for a lazy person such as myself) ideas so the finished product can finally see the light of day.

Next Gen Knytt is also my first "Misc" type level (with a small side of Challenge). It's of a rather gimmicky nature, so I prefer to not explain it in detail in order to avoid spoiling the surprise as much as I can. Just grab the level using the download link above and discover all the horrible secrets for yourself 8)

Hmm, how can this truly be a next-gen experience without forced walking-and-talking to allow important storytelling to take place and cliffs breaking as Juni climbs up them to let the player know that they should feel tense?

This seems like a fun level!Too bad I didn't get to actually play it because as soon as the game loaded my graphics card started heating up (the fans were going crazy :shocked:). I got a bit worried since, as you may know, I store all the Saving Thalanill data files in my GPU's VRAM... Seems like it's too "low-end" for this next-gen experience.

I'll give it a try as soon as nVidia releases new drivers to fix this issue ;).

Hmm, how can this truly be a next-gen experience without forced walking-and-talking to allow important storytelling to take place and cliffs breaking as Juni climbs up them to let the player know that they should feel tense?

...you haven't had a taste yet of the Epilogue DLC, complete with forced NPC dialogue and the obligatory "boss lair collapsing after battle", QTE-ridden final escape section. All for only for $14.99! 8)

Glad you liked the level and the custom stuff :) I had a few other ideas that I wanted to implement, but I had to discard them all so I could finally release this before I ran out of inspiration again. I still plan to put these unused ideas to good use sometime in the future, though :P2

@Purple Ink: Thank you for your words and your totally not hyperbolic review score :D Glad you enjoyed the level!

@ixMarcel: The upcoming 10GB+ patch will hopefully fix all performance issues on nVidia cards. In the meantime, I suggest enabling triple overflowing and setting the anti-aliasing mode to 17x OMGWTFAA. The only downside is that all sprites will be corrupted and look like deformed squirrels... but you'll still be able to get all the achievements, which is all that matters! :D

The PC version is only available on Origin. I mean, come on, everyone knows that.

As a modern gamer, you shouldn't even be playing the PC version anyway. Don't you know that gaming PCs always cost at least $413612 and require you to buy at least $1025 worth of upgrades every 1.5 days if you want to keep up with the latest AAA titles? Also, you're forced to sit right in front of a ridiculously small screen on an insanely uncomfortable folding chair, and play with some kind of hideous elongated typewriter-y controller that has a button for every letter. And on top of all that, local multiplayer is physically impossible, and the online community for every PC game in existence is incredibly toxic, no exceptions.

That whole boss + ending sequence was amazing. I enjoyed the KS+ exclusive bonus features, glad you're not like all those other devs who dropped support the second KS++ was announced.

In terms of feedback, the level could use an autosave shortly before the first bit of water you have to jump over (I fell in and had to... ugh... replay some of the tutorial). Also, in the end credits, the images don't fade 100% to black, so they linger barely visible for a little longer than they should.

@ego, @SF: As a matter of fact, we're planning on adding cross-play and shared achievements/leaderboards between the Steam version (which doesn't exist) and all the available console ports! (i.e. none)

There was going to be a fake online leaderboard in the level, complete with all-caps immature names and hacked scores, and a pop-up error message at the very end that would say something along the lines of "Error: Couldn't sync profile with cloud. All achievement progress was lost." :P2

@sergio: Thanks! Those sequences were the main reason the level burned me out so quickly (especially the final battle, since it required so many COs to implement), but I'm proud I didn't give up on them :) I'll address the issues you mentioned and a few other minor problems I spotted in the next (real) update.

We couldn't reach an agreement with egomassive's representatives for the KS++ exclusivity deal, as one of the conditions was to include an EgoCola(tm) vending machine in the level... which conflicted with our existing product placement deal :/

Added a completely transparent frame at the end of each "vanishing credit picture" animation sequence.

Edited the "true credits" screen so "KS" and "+" won't end up in separate lines (d'oh!).

Added some almost-transparent pixels to some tiles to prevent Juni from sinking one pixel into the ground in some areas.

Modified the New Game + menu screens a bit.

Removed Junibrine.

Since it's only a minor update, it's probably not worth re-downloading the entire thing if you already played the original release. If you're interested in the update anyway (as you should, since it's mandatory for the non-existing Online Play function!), just grab the new .knytt.bin file using the link in the first post.

@pfrangip: Thank you for playing! Unfortunately, our current agreement with Microsoft for Windows 10 / DirectX 12 support prevents us from releasing a Linux version at this moment :( As for 386 support...

...you can try the "Retro" display mode that's available on the "New Game +" menu for a more nostalgic experience. It kinda reminds me of those old EGA games :P2

Also, please note that distributing unauthorized Double-Jump enabled copies of this level may result in getting all your current achievements revoked in your NGK online profile... and then getting the "Losing all your achievements at once" achievement.

Indeed. I can always rename the project "Knytt Forever" and spend a few years changing engines, only to release the final product a decade later, exclusively for the console version of Knytt Underground (somehow) :P2

I'm optimistic on this one, though. I'm about halfway done at this moment.

VERY IMPORTANT: This add-on requires the main level (which you can download using the link in the first post of this thread). Installing it as a standalone level will result in a warning screen (KS+) or a game crash (regular KS) when trying to play.

HOW TO INSTALL & PLAY: Install the .knytt.bin file linked above and answer "OK" when the game asks you if you want to overwrite the existing folder. Then, beat the "main campaign" and backtrack all the way to the left in New Game+ mode. You may use a previous save file from the original level if you have one, although you'll still need to see the ending credits again in order to properly unlock the add-on.

This little expansion features:

A new small, very relaxing area to freely explore and enjoy.

Custom ambient music by Fubaka.

Lots of running water. And I mean A LOT. Hmpf would probably approve.

Two secret areas (one for all KS versions and a KS+ exclusive one).

A new achievement and even more pointless loading screens :P2

[KS+ only] Ability to select between all three display modes during the game.

[KS+ only] Special lighting/graphical effects and extended dialogue.

[KS+ only] Golden creatures! There are 10 of them scattered through the area, and some of them are tricky to find/get. Keep an eye open for them!

[KS+ only] An additional bonus area featuring more custom stuff, unlocked by completing 100% of the first area (all powers/items & golden creatures)

I don't think x1010y991 looks quite how it should due to the extra water objects on row 9, which overlap the lilypads. This style of object placement looks a little odd to me anyway, but I'm pretty sure it's intentional and the edges of the lilypads being covered up is the only real error.

Also, the leftmost nacho at x1003y992 is... incorrectly positioned... and should be adjusted.

I don't think x1010y991 looks quite how it should due to the extra water objects on row 9, which overlap the lilypads. This style of object placement looks a little odd to me anyway, but I'm pretty sure it's intentional and the edges of the lilypads being covered up is the only real error.

The part about the extra water objects is indeed intentional (I do like the "pseudo-perspective" effect it gives off, although I admit this clashes a bit with the normal 2D side view). The lilypad sprites being cut off, however, is just me screwing up the layering royally :oops: I've updated the .knytt.bin file with a quick fix for this. Thanks for telling me!

Also, the leftmost nacho at x1003y992 is... incorrectly positioned... and should be adjusted.

Man, I swear, that guy is *never* happy! He spent the entire pre-alpha development stage constantly complaining about being placed right under a sunray CO, which apparently made him too dry and flaky. Maybe I should move him to x1022y995 instead...

I should probably add the 10th golden creature at some point, though :shifty:

Also, I forgot to mention that an "Additional Content" section has been added to the first post in this thread, which contains a link to the Environmental DLC pack and will list any other future add-on I might release for this level.

This was REALLY GOOD DLC, even though this still precedes the Epilogue DLC that was promise. D'oh. Loved the straightforward puzzle platforming exploration levels, t'was a nice callback to the old-school KS game. I still feel $15 is a bit too much for the DLC, though... I knew I should have gotten the season pass instead. D'OH!

Overall, solid 9.5/10. Excellent work. The secret area (areas?) was/were great as well. Great little cherry on top there.

Man, I hate you! All that work and now you tell me there are seven nachos?! What the heck, man!

I didn't comment on the original release since I gave you my feedback when I tested. Actually I wanted to just say that I hated the DLC man! There was no guidance or direction so I had no idea what I was supposed to do! There were no new achievements so this was a complete waste of time. The areas were so pretty that they made the rest of us look bad; you're ruining KS for everyone with your selfish excellence! There were no proper enemies, none of the combat patches we were promised and the PvP content is still absent! I wanted another boss fight which you totally failed to deliver! Worst of all I paid out £45 for the official strategy guide to the original game because it promised to contain a complete guide to the Environment DLC but it didn't explain how to find any of the golden creatures or secret rooms! This is totally lame! 0/5 stars, complete waste of money!

@ixMarcel: The season pass and the NGK+ subscription code should arrive to your mail account soon :shifty:

@SC: I regret to inform you that the Epilogue DLC will be delayed indefinitely, until we can come up with an epilogue that is vague and disappointing enough to justify the release of an "Alternate Ending" paid DLC we're sure we can meet the high expectations of our fans.

It'd be more accurate to say there's one small secret area (that requires collecting a somewhat hidden power-up) and a bonus area with a visible entrance (if you're playing in KS+). Accessing the latter requires the player to find the former, though.

@Talps: I'm deeply sorry for all the inconveniences caused by our latest release, especially the issue regarding the strategy guide. It seems both the "Vanilla KS" and the "KS+" editions of the guide were released with the same front cover, so you may have got the wrong book. We'll make sure to issue a fake public apology, blame it all on some poor sap who will be promptly fired and reimburse you with 1000 NGK points you can spend on any NGK merch you like (as long as it is not a shirt, a poster, an action figure, the OST nor the official artbook).

It should be noted, however, that the PvP content IS present in this release, although it is only available in local multiplayer form: you first have to find another player who likes the game as much as you do, then you two can wrestle to the death to decide which one of you is going to be the first to play the new content. This way you can experience a new level of combat realism (force feedback included) that puts all modern FPSs to shame! :D

First, I can't believe your level isn't in 4K resolution. It's 2017, come on! Second, I was very disappointed I can't customize my character. I can't even buy a hat! But that's not even the worst part... WHERE ARE ALL THE WAPONS?! HOW MA SUPPOSED TO KILL ENEMIS WITHOUT THEM?!

Nice level :) Very impressive visuals and clever tricks!Your level has also proven that there's no such thing as "minor" difference in mechanics. When I made KS Ex use single pass rendering I didn't make it fully similar mechanics-wise by removing a 1-frame pause during screen transition. In your level this caused a shift not to be triggered. Next KS Ex version will work fine with it.

4K resolution is only supported when using KS++ and KSEx2 on a Windows 10 system that has the upcoming "Almost-Pointless-but-Absolutely-Mandatory Creators Update" (~10GB) installed. The Weapon Pack DLC is not quite ready yet, though. The deadly Cheese Gun(tm) is being tested as we speak, but we're rapidly running out of spinning nachos to experiment on.

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it :D Be sure to give the DLC pack (https://nifflas.lpchip.nl/index.php?topic=6826.msg72214#msg72214) a try if you haven't yet. The added content is mostly environmental and not as over-the-top as the main scenario, but it features some secrets and a new collectible-based challenge (two more if you run the level on KS+).

I'm still trying to decide if I should make a new DLC pack for this, though. If I do, I'll use the "Mod=" config line you implemented to ensure compatibility with future releases of KSEx.